Eels: E (vocals); Butch (drums).

Addiional personnel includes: Jim Lang (conductor); Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Chris Bleth (horns); Mickey Petralia (programming); Peter Buck, Grant Lee Phillips.

Producers: E, Michael Simpson.

Engineers include: Wally Gagel, Jim Lang, Michael Simpson.

Recorded from March-May 1999.

Eels: E (vocals); Butch (drums).

Addiional personnel includes: Jim Lang (conductor); Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, Chris Bleth (horns); Mickey Petralia (programming); Peter Buck, Grant Lee Phillips.

Producers: E, Michael Simpson.

Engineers include: Wally Gagel, Jim Lang, Michael Simpson.

Recorded from March-May 1999.

Audio Mixers: Michael Simpson; Jim Lang; Mark Oliver Everett; Wally Gagel.

Recording information: Chateau E (03/1999-05/1999).

The Eels were always a vehicle for a songwriter called (E), but by the point of their third album, 2000's Daisies of the Galaxy, they were his and his alone. When it came time to deliver a follow-up to the intimate, tortured Electro-Shock Blues, (E) couldn't help but deliver a lighter album, but he'd already turned so far into himself that his music was entirely insular. Of course, his music had always been fairly insular, but if Daisies of the Galaxy is any indication, he's gone so far in, he can't really come out. He's certainly not as extreme as Brian Wilson or Syd Barrett, but he's at the level of XTC or Roy Wood, making pop music for an already-established audience. Nothing on Daisies of the Galaxy will draw in casual listeners the way "Novocaine for the Soul" did, since everything is in miniature, from the yardsale production to the poetic scrawlings. Unlike its predecessor, the album doesn't play like (E)'s private diary; instead, it feels as if one is rummaging through his sketchbook. And, like many sketchbooks, some moments have blossomed, and others remain just intriguing, unformed ideas. For the dedicated, it's worth sifting through the album to find the keepers, since there are enough moments of quirky genius. But not all longtime fans will find this rewarding, since (E) has spent more time in creating mood than crafting songs. There are very few melodies that resonate like his best work, and the stripped-down, yet eccentric production -- sounding much like a cross between Jon Brion and Beck -- never feels realized. That's the problem with an offbeat, gifted musician becoming too insular; there are still clear clues of why he has his reputation, but there's not enough to justify exactly why he does. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Eels were always a vehicle for a songwriter called E, but by the point of their third album, 2000's Daisies of the Galaxy, they were his and his alone. The transition occurred on the previous album, 1998's Electro-Shock Blues, where E exorcised the demons that had haunted him since the death of his family (his parents from cancer, his sister from suicide). Such an intimate, tortured record is hardly the province of a band, and when the Eels came out of it, they were just -- E. When it came time to deliver a follow-up, E couldn't help but deliver a lighter album. Unlike its predecessor, Daisies of the Galaxy doesn't play as if the listener was invading E's private diary; instead, it feels as if one is rummaging through his sketchbook. And, like many sketchbooks, there are some moments that have blossomed and others that remain just an intriguing, unformed idea. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Having used ELECTRO-SHOCK BLUES as a dark musical therapy session in the wake of losing his mom and sister, Eels frontman E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) returned with a more optimistic follow-up, one steeped in gorgeous pop-craft. Utilizing a vocal style not unlike Beck's creaky delivery, E created songs marked by unblinking, Randy Newman-like observations, minus the sardonic edge.

E touches on a range of subjects--he pays tribute to his late mom's love of winged creatures (the gently bouncy "I Like Birds"), sings of unrequited love (the heartbreaking "Jeannie's Diary") and bemoans the evils of advertising (the irresistible "Tiger in My Tank"). Like fellow pop savant Jon Brion, E calls upon a handful of modern-rock pals, including Peter Buck and Grant Lee Phillips, to season his idiosyncratic arrangements. Among the most engaging numbers are the Nilsson-inspired "It's a Motherf#&!@r," as well as the Vince Guaraldi-flavored "A Daisy Through Concrete" and "The Sound of Fear" The last of these is a classic straight out of the Phil Spector/Brian Wilson school of arranging. The hidden track, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues," is an optimistic number that nicely ties up this great collection, which finds E emerging from the dark so that the healing can begin.

Having used ELECTRO-SHOCK BLUES as a dark musical therapy session in the wake of losing his mom and sister, Eels frontman E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) returned with a more optimistic follow-up, one steeped in gorgeous pop-craft. Utilizing a vocal style not unlike Beck's creaky delivery, E created songs marked by unblinking, Randy Newman-like observations, minus the sardonic edge.

E touches on a range of subjects--he pays tribute to his late mom's love of winged creatures (the gently bouncy "I Like Birds"), sings of unrequited love (the heartbreaking "Jeannie's Diary") and bemoans the evils of advertising (the irresistible "Tiger in My Tank"). Like fellow pop savant Jon Brion, E calls upon a handful of modern-rock pals, including Peter Buck and Grant Lee Phillips, to season his idiosyncratic arrangements. Among the most engaging numbers are the Nilsson-inspired "It's a Motherf#&!@r," as well as the Vince Guaraldi-flavored "A Daisy Through Concrete" and "The Sound of Fear" The last of these is a classic straight out of the Phil Spector/Brian Wilson school of arranging. The hidden track, "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues," is an optimistic number that nicely ties up this great collection, which finds E emerging from the dark so that the healing can begin.

Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2000.

Rolling Stone (3/30/00, p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...a deceptively flowing, folk-happy directness....kaleidoscopic....a stylistic lea for Eels, but it's more about other kinds of leaps - from the tyrannies of time, love and Hot Dog on a Stick."

Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.106) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000".

Rolling Stone (3/30/00, p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...a deceptively flowing, folk-happy directness....kaleidoscopic....a stylistic lea for Eels, but it's more about other kinds of leaps - from the tyrannies of time, love and Hot Dog on a Stick."

Spin (5/00, p.159) - 6 out of 10 - "...A rootsy return to form...making the process of dusting off [E's] weary, wordy heart seem like a virtuous act in a nihilist age. His cutest, simplest endeavors are his most successful..."

Spin (5/00, p.159) - 6 out of 10 - "...A rootsy return to form...making the process of dusting off [E's] weary, wordy heart seem like a virtuous act in a nihilist age. His cutest, simplest endeavors are his most successful..."

Entertainment Weekly (3/17/00, p.69) - "...Ignoring the slightest whiff of trendiness, E sets [his] ruminations to shuffling mini-symphonies built on old-school instrumentation....The results are genuinely sublime pop..." - Rating: A-

Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".

Q (3/00, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a sepia-toned, reflective and often dryly humorous affair. 'I Like Birds' is throwaway surrealism, 'Jeannie's Diary' is muted and touching, and 'Something is Sacred' dreamy and reverie-inducing."

Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000".

Q (3/00, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...a sepia-toned, reflective and often dryly humorous affair. 'I Like Birds' is throwaway surrealism, 'Jeannie's Diary' is muted and touching, and 'Something is Sacred' dreamy and reverie-inducing."

Uncut (3/00, p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is E's life-affirming album, a smiling, up-beat but still lo-fi collection of bouncy, pretty pop tunes..."

Uncut (3/00, p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...This is E's life-affirming album, a smiling, up-beat but still lo-fi collection of bouncy, pretty pop tunes..."

Alternative Press (4/00, p.88) - 4 out of 5 - "...a truly quirky style....That this sanity translates easily to everyone else should earn him a place in the history of first-rate pop songwriting."

Alternative Press (4/00, p.88) - 4 out of 5 - "...a truly quirky style....That this sanity translates easily to everyone else should earn him a place in the history of first-rate pop songwriting."

CMJ (3/13/00, p.22) - "...wonderfully preserves the group's lush, beguiling sound and their ability to nimbly switch musical gears without notice. DAISIES is further evidence that Everett is one of the day's most underrated tunesmiths."

CMJ (3/13/00, p.22) - "...wonderfully preserves the group's lush, beguiling sound and their ability to nimbly switch musical gears without notice. DAISIES is further evidence that Everett is one of the day's most underrated tunesmiths."

Melody Maker (2/22/00, p.46) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...random psychological episodes in the life of someone who's prepared to step outside into the sunshine, but who knows it'll probably rain....cathartic..."

Melody Maker (2/22/00, p.46) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...random psychological episodes in the life of someone who's prepared to step outside into the sunshine, but who knows it'll probably rain....cathartic..."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.97) - "...finds a rejuvenated E gasping lungfuls of life....A fine, subtly-crafted pop record which conveys life's rich tapestry with integrity, self-awareness and a keen sense of irony."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/00, p.97) - "...finds a rejuvenated E gasping lungfuls of life....A fine, subtly-crafted pop record which conveys life's rich tapestry with integrity, self-awareness and a keen sense of irony."

NME (Magazine) (2/19/00, p.33) - 9 out of 10 - "...mixes humor and humility, hope and fear, and stands as quiet testimony to one of modern music's most gifted writers....wonderful life-enriching stuff..."

NME (Magazine) (2/19/00, p.33) - 9 out of 10 - "...mixes humor and humility, hope and fear, and stands as quiet testimony to one of modern music's most gifted writers....wonderful life-enriching stuff..."